Lenten Season: Pope Admonishes Catholics What They Must Abstain From

Ahead of the start of the Lenten season, Pope Leo XIV has admonished the Catholic faithful what they must abstain from.

Pope Leo XIV gave the admonition at the heart of his message for Lent 2026, which was released last Friday.

“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor”, he state.

Instead, they should open themselves to listening, fasting, and community work.

Amidst the Lenten season beginning today, the Ash Wednesday, the Pope said this liturgical season offered Christians an opportunity to place the mystery of God back at the center of our lives.

“In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society,” he said, “Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering.”

The head of the Catholic Church worldwide, said Catholics could cultivate inner openness to listening, as God does, by growing in awareness that the poor challenge our lives and economic systems, as well as the Church.

He also spoke on  how fasting helps open us to the deep desire for justice, which he said frees us from complacency.

“Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance,” he said. “Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our ‘appetites,’ keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive”.

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On fasting, the pontiff said this teaches the faithful to govern their desires by purifying, freeing, and expanding it toward God and good deeds.

Fating he added, must fast in faith, humility, and communion with the Lord, and not in a way that leads to pride, said the Pope, adding that other forms of self-denial also lead to a more sober lifestyle.

“Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves.

“Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities.”

On the communal aspect of listening and fasting, he said by it, the needs of the poor comes to the fore, adding:

“It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognising what truly guides our desires—both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity’s thirst for justice and reconciliation.”

“Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language,” he said, “so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others.”